Flag terminal applying machine

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for processing a terminal carrier strip comprising terminals attached sidewise to form the carrier strip, includes terminal carrier strip feed means for feeding the carrier strip in a carrier strip feed direction, and turning means cooperating with the terminal carrier strip feed means to turn a leading terminal through an angle relative to the carrier strip feed direction, to aid in attaching flag terminals to lengths of wire.

This invention relates to apparatus used to apply terminals to both endsof a piece of wire. In particular, the invention relates to amodification of such apparatus to permit the application of flagterminals as well as in-line terminals to the wire.

The apparatus of the invention is a modification of a portion of anautomatic terminal applying machine similar to that disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 3,672,025, issued June 27, 1972. The machine disclosed in thatpatent provides means to attach in-line terminals to each end of ameasured length of wire. For this purpose, the terminals are suppliedatttached endwise to a carrier strip, which is fed at right angles tothe direction of the wire feed. The wire-receiving portion of thein-line terminal is perpendicular to the direction of carrier stripfeed. The cut and stripped wire end is laid in the open terminal, whichis crimped over the wire. The assembled unit is detached from thecarrier strip and removed, and the next terminal is fed into place toreceive the next wire length.

It is desirable to be able to use apparatus such as that described inU.S. Pat. No. 3,672,025 to apply flag terminals as well as in-lineterminals. Flag terminals are attached sidewise to one another to form aterminal strip, so that the wire-receiving portion is oriented parallelwith the direction of carrier strip feed, rather than perpendicular toit. Consequently, the terminal to be attached must be fed directlytoward the cut and stripped wire end. Further, it is desirable to beable to use the machine alternately for applying either sort ofterminal, without major rebuilding of the machine.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a modifiedterminal applying machine that can apply a flag terminal to a piece ofwire. It is also an object to provide such a modification in a terminalapplicator unit that can be easily exhanged with an unmodified unit sothat the machine can easily be adapted to apply either type of terminalalternately.

According to the present invention, apparatus is provided for processinga terminal carrier strip comprising terminals attached sidewise to formthe carrier strip. The apparatus includes terminal carrier strip feedmeans for feeding the carrier strip in a carrier strip feed direction,and turning means cooperating with the terminal carrier strip feed meansto turn a leading terminal through an angle relative to the carrierstrip feed direction, to aid in attaching flag terminals to lengths ofwire.

Preferably, the turning means includes punch means with the carrierstrip between a selected terminal and the succeeding terminal in saidstrip, to partially sever and bend the strip, and the apparatus furtherincludes separator means engageable with the succeeding terminal toprevent motion thereof during motion of the punch. In preferredembodiments the turning means further comprises angle guide meansinclined at 45° to the carrier strip feed direction, and movable bendingmeans engageable with the selected terminal in the carrier strip in anunturned position of the selected terminal, to bend the selectedterminal against the angle guide means, the leading terminal beingthereby turned through an angle of 90°.

In a particular preferred embodiment, an automatic terminal applyingmachine is provided for attaching flag terminals to lengths of wire. Theterminals are supplied to the machine attached to one another in spaced,parallel relationship sidewise to form a strip. The machine has aterminal applicator that includes a base, a tool reciprocable withrespect to the base, the tool and base defining a terminal attachingposition and including cooperating terminal attaching means actuated onreciprocation of the tool, and terminal strip feed means for feeding theterminal strip in a strip feed direction to place a leading terminal inthe terminal attaching position. The machine further has a wire feedassembly for supplying wire in a wire feed direction perpendicular tothe strip feed direction to place a cut wire end in a leading terminalin the terminal attaching position. The machine provides turning meansin the terminal applicator cooperating with the terminal strip feedmeans and actuated by reciprocation of the tool to turn a leadingterminal through 90° relative to the strip feed direction and in theplane of the base before the leading terminal reaches the terminalattaching position, whereby the terminal applying machine is adapted toattach flag terminals to lengths of wire.

Preferably, each flag terminal has a metal body including aterminal-receiving portion and a wire-receiving portion includinggenerally upright tabs, the terminals beings originally attached to oneanother in spaced parallel relationship sidewise at the wire receivingportions to form an extended terminal strip having a tab edge andincluding first, second and third terminals defined by position withrespect to the leading free end of the terminal strip. Eachterminal-receiving portion has a leading and trailing edge defined byadvancement of the terminal strip. The terminal applicator base providesa terminal strip feed path having a tab edge to receive the strip tabedge. The reciprocable tool provides a cam surface, and the machineprovides reciprocating means to move the tool sequentially through afirst downstroke, a dwell, a further downstroke, and an upstroke. Thecooperating terminal attaching means is actuated on the tool furtherdownstroke, and the terminal strip feed means is actuated on the toolupstroke for advancing the terminal strip along the terminal strip feedpath. The wire feed assembly places the cut wire end in thewire-receiving portion of a first terminal in the terminal attachingposition during the tool motion dwell.

The turning means comprises a generally upright angle guide surface onthe base between the terminal attaching position and the strip feed pathtab edge, and inclined at 45° to the strip feed path and to the wirefeed path, severing means carried on the tool engageable with theterminal strip between the second and third terminals on the first tooldownstroke to partially sever the strip, stop means engageable with theleading edge of the terminal-receiving portion of the third terminal onthe first tool downstroke to prevent forward motion of the thirdterminal, and bending means. The bending means is engageable with thetrailing edge of the terminal-receiving portion of a second terminal inthe terminal strip advanced by the feed means, and includes a camfollower surface engageable with the tool cam surface on the first tooldownstroke to move the bending means in the plane of the base parallelwith the strip feed path, to move the second terminal forward, forcingits tab against the angle guide surface to bend the second terminal inthe plane of the base at an angle of 45° to the third terminal, and toadvance the first terminal to the terminal attaching position to receivethe cut wire end for attachment thereto.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken togetherwith the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the terminal applying machine;

FIG. 2 is a detail of FIG. 1, with cover plate removed;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective and plan views of flag terminals of thetype applied by a machine modified according to the invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are front and side elevations of a modified terminalapplicator unit in the terminal applying machine;

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the base of the modified terminalapplicator unit;

FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the reciprocable tool of the modifiedterminal applicator unit;

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of the bending means;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the relationship of portions of the baseand tool during operation of the machine;

FIGS. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are views similar to FIG. 10 with a terminalstrip in place;

FIG. 16 is a detailed view of a portion of the base, showing theplacement of the bending means therein; and

FIG. 17 is a timing diagram of the operation of the terminal applyingmachine.

The apparatus of the invention is a modification of a portion of anautomatic terminal applying machine similar to that disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 3,672,025, issued June 27, 1972. The machine disclosed in thatpatent provides means to attach in-line terminals to each end of ameasured length of wire. For this purpose, the terminals are suppliedattached endwise to a carrier strip, which is fed at right angles to thedirection of the wire feed. The wire-receiving portion of the in-lineterminal is perpendicular to the direction of carrier strip feed. Thecut and stripped wire end is laid in the open terminal, which is crimpedover the wire. The assembled unit is detached from the carrier strip andremoved, and the next terminal is fed into place to receive the nextwire length.

The modification of the present invention permits this or similarapparatus to attach flag terminals to the ends of lengths of wire. Flagterminals are attached sidewise to one another to form a terminal strip,so that the wire-receiving portion is oriented parallel with thedirection of carrier strip feed, rather than perpendicular to it, aswith in-line terminals. Consequently, the terminal to be attached mustbe fed directly toward the cut and stripped wire end.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a modified machine 10 is shown, which includesgenerally a wire metering and feed assembly 12 similar in essentials tothat of U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,025, and a terminal attaching assembly 14.Assembly 14 is seen in greater detail in FIG. 2. Panel 16 has beenremoved to show the cam shaft 18 and nine pairs of cams 20, whichcontrol in a conventional manner the operations of the components ofassembly 14. These components include cutter assembly 22 and clamps 24and 26, all similar in essentials to those of U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,025,and terminal applicators 28 and 30 to either side of cutter assembly 22.Either or both of terminal applicators 28 and 30 may be modifiedaccording to the present invention to permit the application of flagterminals. The present disclosure describes a modification of applicator28. The modification of applicator 30 is similar, but the orientation ofthe wire end and terminal is in effect a mirror image of that ofapplicator 28.

In general terms, the machine of the invention operates like the machineof U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,025. During a 360° rotation of cam shaft 18, wireguide tube 13 first advances (to the right as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2)past assembly 14, whose cutters, applicators and clamps are all open.Insulated wire is supplied at 19 and is fed through guide tube 13, witha terminal from the previous cycle of operation attached to the leadingend of the wire. The distance to which the wire is advanced throughguide tube 13 is determined by the metering apparatus of assembly 12.Feed means in applicators 28 and 30 advance a terminal into crimpingposition in each applicator. Wire guide tube 13 is withdrawn and thewire is held by clamps 24 and 26. Cutter assembly 22 is closed to severthe insulated wire and to cut through the insulation at two points oneither side of the point of severance to permit stripping. Clamps 24 and26 retract the severed portions of wire to provide the stripping actionand to lay the stripped ends in the terminals positioned in terminalapplicators 28 and 30. Applicators 28 and 30 are then operated to attachterminals to the two cut and stripped wire ends, and the free section ofwire (to the right of cutter assembly 22) including attached terminalsat both ends, is removed. The wire guide tube advances again and thecycle is repeated.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, each flag terminal 32 includes aterminal receiving portion 36 and a wire-receiving portion including atrough 38, in which the wire end is laid, and generally upright tabs 40,which are crimped over the wire end to attach the terminal to the wire.Terminals 32 are attached sidewise to one another at the wire receivingportions to form a terminal strip 34 having a tab edge. The terminalstrip includes first, second and third terminals defined by theirposition with respect to the leading free end of the terminal strip.Each terminal-receiving portion has a leading edge and a trailing edgedefined by the direction of advancement of the terminal strip in machine10.

According to the invention, the modification of machine 10 providesmeans in the terminal applicator 28 to turn each flag terminal throughtwo successive angles of 45° from the direction in which terminal strip34 is fed, bringing the leading (first) terminal into a position inwhich trough 38 is parallel with the wire 42 whose stripped end 44 is tobe laid in the wire-receiving portion of the terminal 32.

Terminal applicator 28, referring now particularly to FIGS. 5 and 6,includes a housing 45 having a base 46 and a tool guide portion 48,including a removable front plate 50. Tool 52 is reciprocated by a ram,indicated at 53, within guide portion 48, toward and away from base 46,and moves sequentially through a first downstroke, a dwell, a furtherdownstroke, and an upstroke. Tool 52 carries a crimper 54, cutter 56,punch 58 (severing means), separator 59 (stop means), and cam 60 havinga cam surface 62 (FIG. 8).

Base 46 is best seen in FIG. 7. A strip of terminals is supplied at 34.Feed finger 66 is secured to housing 45 and is actuated in aconventional manner on the upstroke of tool 52 to advance the terminalstrip by one terminal in the direction of arrow 63. The terminalsadvance along a terminal feed path 68, including feed path trough 67which receives terminal trough portion 38 (FIG. 3), The terminals areretained on path 68 by the overhang 69 of internal base wall 70, whichconfines tab 40, and by rear retainer 72, which confines the ends ofterminal-receiving portions 36. Trough 67 and overhang 69 form a feedpath tab edge. Feed path 68 is terminated by a vertical stop surface 112(visible in FIG. 16).

The position of wire guide tube 13 is shown in phantom at a right angleto the direction of feed of the terminal strip. Wire guide tube 13reciprocates in the direction of double-headed arrow 65. Base 46includes a crimping anvil 74, oriented parallel with arrow 65 andbeneath the position of guide tube 13. Base crimping anvil 74 and toolcrimper 54 and cutter 56 define a terminal attaching position and act ascooperating terminal attaching means actuated at the bottom of thefurther downstroke of tool 52. An end-retaining portion 80 on base 46confines the end of terminal-receiving portion 36 of each terminal asits tabs 40 are crimped over wire 42 against anvil 74.

Internal base wall 70 provides a generally flat turning surface 76,adjacent to and coplanar with feed path 68, and further includes agenerally upright angle guide surface 78 sloping downward to turningsurface 76. As best seen in the plan view of FIG. 10, the line of angleguide surface 78 is at an angle of 45° to the line of anvil 74, and isalso at 45° to the direction of feed path 68. Turning surface 76 of wall70 is spaced at 82 from end retaining portion 80 and anvil 74, toaccommodate cutter 56 on the further downstroke of tool 52. A punchrecess 114 is provided in turning surface 76 adjacent stop surface 112of feed path 68, to accommodate punch 58 on the first and furtherdownstroke of tool 52.

A bending means of slider 84 (FIG. 9) is reciprocable parallel witharrow 63, between stop surface 112 and base arm 108, and adjacentturning surface 76. Slider 84 provides tongues 86 and 88 which slide ingrooves 90 and 92 of base 46 (FIG. 16). Slider 84 further provides arear pulling end 93 having a vertical pulling surface 94, a vertical endsurface 95, and a beveled end surface 96. Slider 84 has a forward end 97including a generally upright slider angle guide surface 100, which, asseen in FIG. 10, is parallel with the line of angle guide surface 78 ofbase wall 70. Between rear pulling end 93 and slider angle guide surface100 is a slider turning surface 98, which is generally coplanar withturning surface 76 of wall 70 and with feed path 68.

Forward end 97 of slider 84 provides a centering pin 104. Base arm 108provides a screw 110. Spring 106 is centered on pin 104 and screw 110,and is confined between slider 84 and base arm 108.

Tongue 88 is prolonged beyond slider pulling end 93 and provides acamming end 101 having a camming surface 102. On the first downstroke oftool 52, cam surface 62 of tool cam 60 engages slider camming surface102 and forces slider 84 forward, compressing spring 106. On theupstroke of tool 52, spring 106 returns slider 84 to its home positionin which slider end surface 95 engages slider stop surface 112 of base46.

FIG. 10 shows a plan view of the relevant elements of housing base 46and their relationship to the operative components of tool 52, shown inphantom. At the bottom of the further downstroke of tool 52 (about 220°in FIG. 17), crimper 54 reaches anvil 74, cutter 56 is received in space82, and punch 58 is received in punch recess 114. Separator 59 entersthe space between stop surface 110 and slider pulling end 93 as theslider moves forward. Tool camming surface 62 engages slider cammingsurface 102 and forces slider 84 to its extreme forward position.

FIG. 11 shows the elements of FIG. 10 in the same relationship, as thebottom of the downstroke of tool 52, but with a strip of terminals inplace. The first terminal 32-1 has been crimped over a wire 42 and hasbeen severed from the terminal strip by cutter 56. A second terminal32-2 has been bent by slider pulling surface 93 through an angle of 45°from the feed path of the terminal strip, and punch 58 has punched out aportion of carrier strip 34 between terminals 32-2 and 32-3 to partiallysever the second from the third terminal. Separator 59 acts as a stop tohold back terminal 32-3 against the pull of slider 84.

Referring now to FIG. 17, which shows the timing relationships of therelevant operative elements of machine 10, and to FIGS. 13 to 15, FIG.13 shows the machine elements at about 280° rotation of cam shaft 18.The upstroke of tool 52 in applicator 28 has been completed. Slider 84is in its home position. The feed finger has operated to advance theterminal strip by one terminal, causing terminal 32-3 to ride up overbeveled end surface 96 of slider 84 and to engagepulling surface 94. Theguide tube 13 is now advanced to the right, as previously described, andwire is metered out through tube 13.

The wire guide tube 13 is withdrawn (90° rotation of the cam shaft), andclamps 24 and 26 close to clamp the wire. Tool 52 moves down through itsfirst downstroke, and punch 58 is received in punch recess 114 (FIG. 14)as slider 84 begins to move forward. At the same time, cutter assembly22 begins to close. The wire is held in clamps 24 and 26 and clears thesurfaces of base 46, while slider 84 continues forward (FIG. 15) bendingterminal 32-3 through 45°. The bend is shown incomplete in FIG. 15.Completion of the forward motion of slider 84 forces tabs 40 of terminal32-3 against angle guide surface 78 and bends the terminal through 45°.Terminal 32-2 is moved onto anvil 74 by the angular motion of terminal32-3 through 45°.

The downstroke of tool 52 is interrupted, after terminal 32-2 has beenmoved into position on anvil 74, and tool 52 dwells while guide tube 13is withdrawn further and the cut strip action of cutter assembly 22 andclamps 24 and 26 is completed. The cut and stripped end of the wire islaid into the open terminal 32-2 (180°) and the downstroke of tool 52 isthen continued to crimp the terminal over the wire end and to sever theterminal from the strip (FIG. 11).

What is claimed is:
 1. In an automatic terminal applying machine forattaching terminals to lengths of wire, said terminals being supplied tosaid machine attached sidewise to one another to form a terminal strip,said machine havinga terminal applicator including a base, a toolreciprocable with respect to said base, said tool and base defining aterminal attaching position and including cooperating terminal attachingmeans actuated on reciprocation of said tool, and terminal carrier stripfeed means for feeding said carrier strip in a carrier strip feeddirection to place a leading terminal in said terminal attachingposition, and a wire feed assembly for supplying wire in a wire feeddirection perpendicular to said carrier strip feed direction to place acut wire end in a said leading terminal in said terminal attachingposition in said terminal applicator, that improvement comprisingturning means in said terminal applicator cooperating with said terminalcarrier strip feed means and actuated by reciprocation of said tool toturn a said leading terminal through 90° relative to said carrier stripfeed direction before said leading terminal reaches said terminalattaching position, whereby said terminal applying machine is adapted toattach flag terminals to lengths of wire.
 2. A strip terminal processingapparatus for bending a strip of terminals each having a metal bodyincluding a terminal-receiving portion and wire-receiving portionincluding generally upright tabs, said terminals being attached to oneanother in spaced parallel relationship to form a terminal stripextending perpendicularly to said terminals and having a tab edge andincluding first, second and third terminals, defined by position withrespect to the leading advancing free end of said terminal strip,saidapparatus includinga base providing a terminal strip feed path having atab guiding edge to guide said strip tab edge, terminal strip feed meansfor advanccing said terminal strip along said terminal strip feed path,turning means for turning successive leading terminals in a directionperpendicular to said feed path comprisingsevering means engageable withsaid terminal strip between said second and third terminals to partiallysever said strip, and bending means engageable with theterminal-receiving portion of a said terminal strip advanced by saidfeed means, to bend said second terminal in the plane of said base at anangle of 45° to said third terminal, and simultaneously to advance saidfirst terminal.
 3. The improvememt as claimed in claim 2 furtherincluding stop means engageable with the terminal-receiving end of saidthird terminal.
 4. The improvement as claimed in claim 3 furtherincludinga generally upright angle templet on said base between saidterminal attaching position and said strip feed path tab edge, andinclined at 45° to said strip feed path and to said wire feed path. 5.In an automatic terminal applying machine for attaching flag terminalsto lengths of wire, each said flag terminal having a metal bodyincluding a terminal-receiving portion and a wire-receiving portionincluding generally upright tabs, said terminals being attached to oneanother in spaced parallel relationship at said wire receiving portionsto form a terminal strip extending perpendicularly to said terminals andhaving a tab edge and including first, second and third terminals,defined by position with respect to the leading advancing free end ofsaid terminal strip,said machine havinga terminal applicator includingabase providing a terminal strip feed path having a tab guiding edge toguide said strip tab edge, a tool reciprocable with respect to saidbase, said tool and base defining a terminal attaching position andincluding cooperating terminal and wire attaching means actuated at saidterminal attaching position, and terminal strip feed means for advancingsaid terminal strip along said terminal strip feed path, the improvementcomprisingturning means for turning successive leading terminals in adirection perpendicular to said feed path for presentation to said toolat said terminal attaching position, comprising severing meansengageable with said terminal strip between said second and thirdterminals to partially sever and strip, and bending means engageablewith the terminal-receiving portion of a said second terminal in saidterminal strip advanced by said feed means, to bend said second terminalin the plane of said base at an angle of 45° to said third terminal, andsimultaneously to advance said first terminal to said terminal attachingposition to receive a wire end for attachment thereto.
 6. An automaticterminal applying machine for attaching flag terminals to lengths ofwire, each said flag terminal having a metal body including aterminal-receiving portion and a wire-receiving portion includinggenerally upright tabs, said terminals being originally attached to oneanother in spaced parallel relationship sidewise at said wire receivingportions to form an extended terminal strip having a tab edge andincluding first, second and third terminals defined by position withrespect to the leading free end of said terminal strip, each saidterminal-receiving portion having a leading and a trailing edge definedby advancement of said terminal strip,said machine havinga terminalapplicator includinga base providing a terminal strip feed path having atab edge to receive said strip tab edge, a tool reciprocable withrespect to said base and providing a cam surface, said tool and basedefining a terminal attaching position spaced from said terminal stripfeed path, reciprocating means to move said tool sequentially through afirst downstroke, a dwell, a further downstroke, and an upstroke, saidtool and base including cooperating terminal attaching means actuated atsaid terminal attaching position on said tool further downstroke, andterminal strip feed means actuated on said tool upstroke for advancingsaid terminal strip along said terminal strip feed path, a wire feedassembly for supplying wire in a wire feed direction perpendicular tosaid strip feed path to place a cut wire end in the wire-receivingportion of a said first terminal in said terminal attaching positionduring said tool motion dwell, and turning means in said terminalapplicator comprisinga generally upright angle guide surface on saidbase between said terminal attaching position and said strip feed pathtab edge, and inclined at 45° to said strip feed path and to said wirefeed path, serving means carried on said tool engageable with saidterminal strip between said second and third terminals on said firsttool downstroke to partially sever said strip, stop means engageablewith the leading edge of the terminal-receiving portion of said thirdterminal on said first tool downstroke to prevent forward motion of saidthird terminal, and bending means engageable with the trailing edge ofthe terminal-receiving portion of a said second terminal in saidterminal strip advanced by said feed means, and including a cam followersurface engageable with said tool cam surface on said first tooldownstroke to move said bending means in the plane of said base parallelwith said strip feed path to move said second terminal forward forcingits said tabs against said angle guide surface to bend said secondterminal in the plane of said base at an angle of 45° to said thirdterminal, and to advance said first terminal to said terminal attachingposition to receive said cut wire end for attachment thereto.
 7. In anautomatic terminal applying machine for attaching terminals to lengthsof wire, said terminals being supplied to said machine attached sidewiseto one another to form a terminal strip, including first, second andthird terminals, defined by position with respect to the leadingadvancing free end of said terminal strip, said machine havinga terminalapplicator includinga base, a tool reciprocable with respect to saidbase, said tool base defining a terminal attaching position andincluding cooperating terminal attaching means actuated on reciprocationof said tool, and terminal carrier strip feed means for feeding saidcarrier strip in a carrier strip feed direction to place a leadingterminal in said terminal attaching position, and a wire feed assemblyfor supplying wire in a wire feed direction perpendicular to saidcarrier strip feed direction to place a cut wire end in a said leadingterminal in said terminal attaching position in said terminalapplicator, that improvement comprisingturning means in said terminalapplicator cooperating with said terminal carrier strip feed means andactuated by reciprocation of said tool to turn a said leading terminalthrough 90° relative to said carrier strip feed direction before saidleading terminal reaches said terminal attaching position, comprisingangle guide means on said base, inclined at 45° to said carrier stripfeed direction and to said wire feed direction, a slider reciprocable inthe plane of said base past said angle guide means, and engageable witha said second terminal on said carrier strip in an unturned position ofsaid second terminal, said slider including a cam follower surface,punch means carried on said tool engageable with said carrier stripbetween said second and third terminals on reciprocation of said tool topartially sever said strip, and separator means carried on said toolengageable with said third terminal to prevent motion thereof duringreciprocation of said slider, said tool including a cam surfaceengageable with said slider cam follower surface during reciprocation ofsaid tool to reciprocate said slider, for bending said second terminalagainst said angle guide means, whereby said terminal applying machineis adapted to attach flag terminals to lengths of wire.